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Fergus is built around seeing your workflow and cash flow clearly. Stagex takes the next step — every stage is signed off by the client and invoiced the moment it’s approved, so what you see on the dashboard is what’s actually been agreed and billed.
Invite-only while we onboard our first builders. No lock-in. The client pays you directly on sign-off.
The row no job-management app can tick
Most tradie apps help you send the invoice faster. Stagex goes one step further: you and your client agree the milestones up front, they sign off each stage from their own portal, and the invoice for that stage is generated immediately — no manual re-entry, no delay. The client pays you directly; Stagex does not collect or hold the payment. See /product-status.
Fergus is job-management software built around workflow and cash-flow visibility, popular with plumbers and electricians across Australia and New Zealand. Here is where each genuinely fits — no spin.
Fergus is strong on job workflow and cash-flow visibility. Stagex’s edge is that the numbers behind that visibility are backed by a signed-off milestone trail, stage by stage.
| Feature | Stagex | Fergus |
|---|---|---|
| Does it hold customer funds before work starts? | Not yet. Milestone escrow is not available — Stagex does not hold customer funds and is not licensed to. It is the product we are building; see /product-status. | No. Fergus is job-management software — it sends the invoice, it does not hold or guarantee the customer's money. |
| How you actually get paid | Invoice with a Stripe payment link, and the money reaches your bank on your Stripe payout schedule. Milestone escrow — the client funding each stage before you start it — is what we are building, and it is not available yet. | Invoice + online payment links. Faster to send, but the customer still chooses whether and when to pay. Same as Stagex today — Fergus is mature at it.[1] |
| Cash-flow & workflow visibility | Milestone status per stage shows exactly what’s signed off and what’s been invoiced. | Strong cash-flow and workflow dashboards — a core Fergus strength for tracking margin across jobs.[1] |
| How fast is the invoice raised? | The moment the client signs off a milestone, the invoice for that stage is generated automatically — no manual re-entry. | Fergus shows you what you are owed, but raising and sending the invoice is still a manual step. |
| If a client won’t pay | Every milestone and sign-off is timestamped, giving you a clear record to back a payment claim. Stagex does not hold or guarantee the money. | An unpaid invoice remains yours to chase — same as Stagex today. |
| Job costing & margin tracking | Milestone-level tracking of quoted vs funded vs released amounts. | Detailed job costing and margin visibility — mature and well-regarded.[1] |
| Accounting integration | Two-way Xero sync. | Integrates with Xero and MYOB.[1] |
Does it hold customer funds before work starts?
Not yet. Milestone escrow is not available — Stagex does not hold customer funds and is not licensed to. It is the product we are building; see /product-status.
No. Fergus is job-management software — it sends the invoice, it does not hold or guarantee the customer's money.
How you actually get paid
Invoice with a Stripe payment link, and the money reaches your bank on your Stripe payout schedule. Milestone escrow — the client funding each stage before you start it — is what we are building, and it is not available yet.
Invoice + online payment links. Faster to send, but the customer still chooses whether and when to pay. Same as Stagex today — Fergus is mature at it.[1]
Cash-flow & workflow visibility
Milestone status per stage shows exactly what’s signed off and what’s been invoiced.
Strong cash-flow and workflow dashboards — a core Fergus strength for tracking margin across jobs.[1]
How fast is the invoice raised?
The moment the client signs off a milestone, the invoice for that stage is generated automatically — no manual re-entry.
Fergus shows you what you are owed, but raising and sending the invoice is still a manual step.
If a client won’t pay
Every milestone and sign-off is timestamped, giving you a clear record to back a payment claim. Stagex does not hold or guarantee the money.
An unpaid invoice remains yours to chase — same as Stagex today.
Job costing & margin tracking
Milestone-level tracking of quoted vs funded vs released amounts.
Detailed job costing and margin visibility — mature and well-regarded.[1]
Accounting integration
Two-way Xero sync.
Integrates with Xero and MYOB.[1]
A tick in the Fergus column means Fergus genuinely leads on that row. We call it where they do.
Sources
Claims about Fergus reflect its own public product and pricing pages as at 2026. Feature sets change — confirm current details on fergus.com. Stagex is not affiliated with or endorsed by Fergus.
Milestone tracking
Signed off, stage by stage
Invoice on sign-off
No manual re-entry, no delay
No lock-in
Month-to-month, cancel anytime
Dispute evidence
A timestamped record for both sides
If your main need is job costing and margin dashboards across lots of live jobs, Fergus is very good at that. If your real risk is losing track of what’s signed off and what’s been invoiced on staged work, Stagex is purpose-built for that: every milestone is tracked to sign-off and invoiced immediately.
No — and neither does Stagex today. Milestone escrow is not available; Stagex does not hold or guarantee customer funds either (see /product-status). What Stagex does is track each milestone to sign-off and generate the invoice the moment it’s approved.
A dashboard tells you what should arrive. Milestone tracking tells you exactly what’s been signed off and invoiced, and when — you’re forecasting against a paper trail, not a guess.
The moment the client signs off a milestone, Stagex generates the invoice for that stage. They pay you directly on whatever method you’ve agreed — Stagex doesn’t collect or hold the payment.
Stagex Professional is $59/mo, or $49/mo billed annually (GST inclusive) — a flat subscription, no transaction fee. Fergus prices per user — check fergus.com for current plans.
No card to start, and the trial simply ends if you don’t add one — we never bill you by surprise. Bring one staged job through Stagex this week and see what chase-free payment feels like.
Stage by stage. Always paid.